The Bears will keep Ryan Poles on as general manager and he will be the “point person” on the team’s offseason coaching search, president/CEO Kevin Warren said Friday.
“He will have the final say,” Warren said.
Poles made the decision to fire coach Matt Eberflus on Friday, one day after he held on to a timeout as the clock ran out on his offense against the Lions.
“This will be the most coveted job in the National Football League this year,” Warren said.
Warren stressed the need for a coach with “extremely high standards” who “creates an environment of accountability” within Halas Hall.
Bears chairman George McCaskey did not speak at Monday’s press conference — the Sun-Times requested that he do so — but instead sat on the side of the dais.
The Bears named Warren their president/CEO in January 2023 after Ted Phillips announced his retirement. Warren began working full-time in April 2023.
Poles is finishing his third season with the Bears. He hired Eberflus days after the Bears hired the former Chiefs front-office protégé in January 2022.